George Dickel No.8 Tennessee Whiskey
Presently run by Master Distiller, John Lunn, who continues the hands on process as set forth by George Dickel and again by Ralph Dupps, Dickel whiskey is produced from a mash of corn, barley and rye. The grains are finely ground at the distillery before being cooked. They are then cooled in mash tubs by pure spring water from Cascade Spring, located about one-half mile up the road from the distillery. Fermentation is begun using a proprietory yeast, followed by a double distillation - firstly in a column still, then in a pot-still. The process of charcoal mellowing then occurs, which defines the difference between Tennessee whiskey and bourbon whiskey. In this process, the double-distilled whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal. Dickel's mellowing process is unique in that it is chilled prior to the filtration process. This process of chilling the whiskey resulted from George discovering that the batches of whiskey he tasted during the winter were noticeably smoother than those he tasted during warmer weather. He called this process chill mellowing. The first step in the mellowing process is selecting and cutting sugar maple trees. Trees are cut in the winter months when the sugar maple's rich flavour is stored in the trunk of the tree. The trunks are allowed to season and cut into strips. These strips are hand-stacked and set ablaze in the open air. This process allows the smoke's impurities to escape from the resulting hard charcoal. The hard maple charcoal is crushed by hand and packed into one of six mellowing vats located at the distillery. About ten feet of charcoal is packed into each vat. Two virgin wool blankets are placed on the top and bottom of the charcoal. The top blanket ensures that the newly chilled whiskey uniformly reaches into the vat, while the bottom blanket keeps the charcoal from escaping as the whiskey leaves the vat. The entire chill charcoal mellowing process takes seven to ten days to complete, and though this extra process is time consuming and expensive, the distillery believes the end result speaks for itself. The whisky is finally aged in new, charred American white oak barrels. Full barrels are aged just up the hill from the distillery in the industry's only single-storied iron-clad warehouses. Dickel No.8 received a silver medal in 2005 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. More recently it was lauded with the prestigious Gold Medal. Tasting notes: Bright topaz. Aromas of toasted toasted marshmallow, sweet corn and vanilla bean as well as hints of rye freshness. A youthful but nicely rounded whiskey with attractive corn, toasty oak, cocoa and peppermint notes leading into a gently spicy finish. Value buy. 40% Alc./Vol.
Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Elijah Craig are another of Heaven Hill's successful brands. When a surge in popularity for the 12 year led to an inability to meet demand, it was removed from US shelves in 2016 (no surprise, age statements are now sought after). The core whiskey has since been re-labelled “Small Batch". Typically made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley, rumour has it this contains a fair proportion of whiskeys in the 8-12 year old range.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Bourbon Whiskey
One litre Travel retail exclusive bottling. Rare breed, as the name suggests, is a unique bourbon experience. A marriage of Wild Turkey 6, 8 and 12 year olds, Rare Breed is 'barrel proof', meaning that it is bottled at barrel strength with no water added to lower the proof or dilute the flavour. Master Distiller, Jimmy Russell follows suit even after bottling - he keeps his Rare Breed in the freezer so he doesn't have to add ice, which would melt and ultimately dilute the flavour! Non-chill filtered.
Michter's US*1 Small Batch Bourbon
The Michter's "US 1" bottlings are so named to honour Michter’s heritage. The brand was established in 1753 as America’s first whiskey company. Washington and his troops drank Michter’s while they were hunkered down in Valley Forge. Michter's US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is made from a carefully selected mashbill that features the highest quality American corn. It is then matured to the peak of perfection. Truly "small batch" each batch of our US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is batched in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of twenty full barrels, leaving no margin for "blending out" imperfection and thus necessitating excellence from every barrel. Reflecting the spirit of the Bluegrass State, Michter's US$1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is nuanced, mellow and earthy. Michter's US *1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is also available with personalized Fort Nelson Select labeling at Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery. Truly “small batch,” each release is typically composed of no more than two dozen barrels, with the quality shining through. A very well-balanced, sweeter style of bourbon. Flavours of rich caramel with balanced vanilla, stone fruit notes, smoky depth, with an oak finish.